CHAPTER FOUR -> PARTY NIGHT

Oh look at that, you've come again. It's so sweet of you. I feel like we are already best friends, I can feel us bonding. You come every week to read my dumb confessions and that's pretty amazing of you. So in the spirit of friendship, I will answer any question you have. And I really hope you stick with me through out my journey.

“Life should not be a journey to the grave

with the intention of arriving

safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but

rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke,

thoroughly used up, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming

"Wow! What a ride!"

-> HUNTER S. THOMPSON

This is the fourth night I am having this same dream. Each night it becomes more vivid and intense. I keep turning on my bed trying to wake up. Sleep has become torture for me. I could hear the cries of my family: my girls calling me to stop the pain and my wife cursing me. I need to wake up. Why can't I wake up?

Finally my eyes slowly open...or so I thought.

I see Leslie floating in front of me, her skin pale, dirt all over her body and her eyes pitch black like staring into the dark empty void of space. She reaches for my neck trying to strangle me. I struggle to breathe. I was about to give up when I hear Audrey's voice shouting at me to wake up. My eyes fly open, I sit bolt upright, gasping for air and breathing fast. 

I am sweating like I just participated in the London Marathon.

"Fuck!" I whispered to myself

I look at the alarm clock next to my bed. It is still 2:25 in the morning.

I'm afraid to go back to sleep so I get out of bed. I make my way to Harper's room and find he is sleeping peacefully, cuddling the girl he brought home the night before. He is enjoying single life to the fullest.

I hear a sound in the kitchen so I head to check it out. I get there and I can feel a presence standing by the kitchen window, I flip the kitchen light on to see who that is but no one is there. Although I can feel a presence I see no one. I start to think maybe it is my mind playing tricks on me for the sleep I haven't been getting so I try to switch the light off but it goes off before I touch the switch.

I flip the switch on and off but nothing happens.

I feel something pass through me, it gives me the chills despite the fact that the kitchen is at normal temperature. The presence is now standing behind me, I can feel it. I can't move my body, my heart beats fast and I start to feel light-headed.

I try to look from the side of my eyes but there is no one there, my eyes see no one but my mind and soul tell me different. 

I manage to flip the switch and this time it lit up but the presence is gone. I go straight to close the kitchen window.

I hear someone call my name. Just as soon as I closed the window, I hear my name. The call came from the sitting room.

This is officially the worst dawn of my life.

I make my way to the sitting room but no one is there, just an open window again. I try to close the window but it won't budge.

I look to see what it is stuck on and there he is standing at the same spot he stood when I first came in here.

He starts walking towards the window and I immediately leave the window like that and go back to my room shutting the door and triple checking if it is really locked.

I place my head on the door regretting coming back to life. A sound in the room pulls me away from my thought.

The bed creaks and groans under the weight of someone I cannot see. The sound tells me that someone or something is on the bed. I stand bamboozled and hopeless. Just for a split second I see who it was, I catch a glimpse of the person. It is Leslie, she is holding a knife. I quickly try to unlock the door but she moved so fast towards me, knife raised and...

"Aah!"

For a third time, I open my eyes and gasp for air breathing fast and looking round the room like I'm searching for something.

It was Wednesday morning. It shows 8:30 on the alarm clock.

"Hey man are you okay? I heard you screaming."

Harper asked. He was standing at the door

I look at him and shake my head. No.

"Had one of 'em dreams again?" He asked

"Yeah. This time it was a dream within a dream and Leslie was trying to kill me."

"Leslie? Are you sure?"

"I know my little girl when I see her," I said

"I don't know, man. But why would she want to kill you?"

"Why wouldn't she? She was just four and I took her away from this world."

"Come on man..."

"I know what you are about to say and it doesn't help my guilt."

"I'm sorry. If it's any help, I made breakfast, you hungry?"

"Yeah. I will join you in a minute."

After brushing my teeth, I stare at my reflection on the mirror. I am looking more dead than alive with my swollen face, eye discharge and eye bag. I wash my face clean but I'm stuck with the eye bag—evidence of my lack of sleep.

I still look good though. I blow myself a kiss

I come downstairs to meet Harper eating his breakfast.

"Hey man I'm sorry if I scared away your girl with my screams."

"It's fine. She already left before the screams started," he lied.

The girl ran away by five in the morning. She couldn't stand the screams. I don't blame her.

"Hey Mason, you look dead bro."

"I know. I have been sleeping but haven't been getting much sleep."

"You need to see a doctor bro."

"Nope, I don't. It's just a phase. What I want right now is to know who has been managing my business."

"See a doctor, we can talk about business later."

"Let's talk business now. Woods Travel Safe who's managing it?"

"It's no longer Woods Travel Safe."

"What do you mean?"

"When you and your family bit the dust, the government took everything you left behind. Your house, your cars and your airline company. They took everything, Mason."

"Fuck them! What are they calling it now?" 

"New York City Airline, NYCA."

"That's wacky. I need to get my company back."

"That's not possible since you were legally pronounced dead."

"Are you a lawyer now?" I asked.

"I knew you would want your company back so I started pulling some strings and asked a few of my friends. Do you remember Jason?"

"Jason… uh…. Doesn’t ring a bell” I said with a tired voice.

“Oh come on, you know Jas…”

“Well does he have a fucking last name, Harper?!” I interrupted with a frustrated tone 

The room was instantly filled with silence, a silence which ended at the sound of my voice.

“Sorry bro, I'm just messed up.”

Harper paused for a while before speaking.

“It’s fine, but you gotta get it together… I'm tryna help.” he sighed.

“Anyways, Barnes, Jason Barnes, that’s his name.”

“Jason… yeah I remember him now.”

"Cool. I know you remember how good he is and ever since he became a lawyer he has only lost three cases."

"How does this concern him?" I asked.

"I was hoping we could hire him and fight the government but he rejected. I offered him three million just to convince him but he said this case is a wild goose chase and wants nothing to do with it. He has a reputation to protect, can't blame him."

"Dammit! What should I do now?"

"Start over," he said

"Start over with what?"

"I could give you the three million he rejected."

"There is no way I'm taking that from you. You've done a lot for me already."

"I haven't done shit. If I was in your shoes I know you will do the same for me, probably more. Just take it as a gift."

I narrowed my eyes at him.

"I reject your gift."

"Fuck you man. Okay I'm lending the money to you."

"Three million is a huge sum of money to borrow."

"Why you gotta be stubborn? You can pay back whenever you want. Shit! You can even choose not to pay back!"

"Just give me two million bro. That will be enough."

"So you wanted it but you had to act like a bitch first."

"You persuaded me to take the money."

"Drama queen." He rolls his eyes

"I bet Victoria is disappointed in me" I laugh dryly

"She is not. She has never been and you know it."

"I guess. Thanks for everything man. I love you."

"I know you do."

"This is the part where you say I love you too."

"I know. Will you still love me if I say I booked you an appointment with my doctor?"

"You did what?"

"I might have booked you a 2 o clock appointment."

"When did you do that?"

"This morning."

"Why?!" I yelled.

"Your screams chased away the girl I brought home! We didn't even get to have morning sex, dammit!"

"You told me she left before the screams started."

"Did I?"

"Yes motherfucker, you did."

"Oh well. I guess I lied. But seriously man you need to see a doctor."

"Yeah fine. Will you come with me?"

"Dude we are not a couple. I don't have to come with you."

"Come on man. Please?"

"I am working from home today."

"You think I believe that?"

"You should believe it cause it is the truth," he said

"There is no work. You are having a girl over."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes...you...are."

"Fuck it! Fine, damn it. You are right I am having a girl over. Now can you leave, please?"

"I need you there, man."

"No you do not. My presence there will be for naught."

"You are saying this because you wanna clap some cheeks."

"You are very correct, brother." he nodded slowly.

"Come on. Bros before hoes?"

"Don't do that."

"Guy code."

"You just had to pull that card out."

"Yea. You are coming with me right?"

"Yea I am" he sigh "You owe me, Mason"

"I know."

Harper drives me to see his doctor. Hopefully he will give me something to take away the dreams. On getting to the hospital, I realize the doctor is a she. A pretty she, just not as pretty as Sister Alex or Sister Elizabeth. I miss Sister Alex.

She introduces herself as Ruby Caffrey. She has a wonderful name. I go on to explain the dreams to her.

"What you experienced is a False Awakening," she says 

"What's a False Awakening?" I ask. 

"False Awakening occurs when an individual dreams about waking but in fact remains asleep," Harper explained.

"Show off," I said under my breath.

"Yes, just as your friend has explained and it is a fairly common occurrence."

"So it is not a bad thing?" I ask.

"It is not a bad thing, Mr Woods. Almost everyone who remembers their dream experience them at some point in life."

"So you are saying that the ghost of my little girl will kill me one day, that's good to know. But why do I keep having this same dream?"

"Interestingly, false awakenings may occur repeatedly, like a Russian nesting doll, the dreams and false awakenings may be layered within one another. As a result, the dreamer believes they have finally awakened yet they continue to sleep only to falsely awake yet again, sometimes numerous times. There are actually two types of false awakenings."

"Which are?" Harper asks

"One is characterized by mundane activities of waking; getting up, taking a shower, getting dressed, having breakfast, and leaving for work. At some point, the dreamer realizes something is not quite right and this may provoke a true awakening in which the person recognizes it was just a vivid dream."

"But none of that happened in my dream."

"What you experienced was type two of false awakening."

"What is type two about?" I ask

"It is less pleasant with a more tense or ominous feeling. These may be associated with hallucinations or apparitions of foreboding people or monsters but in your case ghosts. Such events are more likely to be considered nightmares and may have associated anxiety."

"What causes this things?"

"There's no scientific consensus on the causes of false awakenings. Worry or anxiety may stimulate this and your brain may also be the cause."

"Are you saying his brain is damaged?" Harper asks

I glare at Harper.

"How do you mean?" I ask.

"It is possible that the part of your brain responsible for dreaming and also for waking consciousness are both active. This could then lead to vivid dreaming of gaining consciousness and waking up. But it doesn't mean there is anything wrong with your brain."

"What can I do to stop this?"

"Nothing. It is not an illness and therefore doesn't have a cure but you should engage yourself in activities that keep you from worrying. Go out meet new people and have fun."

"Thank you, Miss Caffrey"

"You are welcome. Let me know when the dream stops."

"I will."

We are on our way home when Harper brings up the surprise welcome party he had organized for me

"How would a party help my situation?" I ask.

"The doctor told you to meet new people and have fun, where is the best place to meet new people and have fun? A party is the bestest place."

"You have an answer for everything, don't you?" 

"Yes I do. You can call me god." he jokes.

"When is the party?" I ask.

"Next tomorrow, that is on Friday."

"And you are just telling me now?"

"Consider yourself lucky cause I intended to tell you on Friday evening."

"Where is the party?"

"At Valentino." He smiles at me.

"Damn bro, Fridays at Valentino are wild."

"I know right? So are you looking forward to it?"

"Of course I am."

"That's the Mason Woods I know and love."

  ......................................................................................✍️

It is finally the night of the party. Party: a place where we get drunk, have unprotected sex, smoke till the room starts to spin and wake up the next day with a mind blowing hangover—ah the joys of partying.

Harper introduces me to Valentino, the Italian New York City club owner. He owns the best club in New York City. I barely understand the words he says with his thick Italian accent.

"It's an honor to meet you Mr Valentino," I said

"When Harper told me he wanted to use my club to throw a party for you, I couldn't believe it. Mason Woods the undead. I still can't believe it."

"Believe it, Mr Valentino," Harper said

We were still talking when they called my name to come give an opening speech. I hate making speeches.

I refuse to go up the stage until they start cheering my name and Harper nudges me to walk up the stage. 

I wear a headmic, holding a glass of vodka and take to the stage, the words I say up there just come to me.

"Thanks to my best friend and brother Harper for bringing you all here to celebrate my return and thanks to you guys for honoring the invitation and thanks to Mr Valentino for letting us use this amazing place, although it wasn't cheap."

They laugh.

"I would like to believe that everyone in here knows what happened to my family and so I will not go into that. What y'all might not know is the government took the opportunity to steal what I and my wife spent our entire life working for, fucking bastards"

They start boeing

"Fuck them! Let's toast to this."

I raise up my glass of vodka with everyone doing the same.

"Fuck the government. Here's to the night we don't remember and the friends we won't forget. Let's get this fucking party started." I shout

The music resumes and draws everyone to the dance floor.

 ******

Sorry but I have to end it here. If you wanna know what happens next, you should come next week.

That's all on Confessions Of An Exorcist.

Thank you and goodbye for now. I hope to see you next week.

AUTHOR'S NOTE ->

I hope you guys enjoyed reading this chapter. 

False Awakenings may also lead to lucid dreams so if you ever experience such, please contact your doctor. Personally I haven’t experienced lucid dreams or false awakenings but the one I have most times is Sleep Paralysis and that scares the shit out of me, like why the fuck does my body have to scare me before I forcefully wake up. That’s so weird.

Anyways, it will be awesome if you guys could

REVIEW,

COMMENT,

SHARE &

ADD THIS STORY TO YOUR LIBRARY TO GET UPDATES OF NEW CHAPTERS

HINT FOR NEXT WEEK: CHAPTER 5: MAZIKEEN. IT’S GONNA BE HOT. I HOPE I DIDN’T SPOIL TOO MUCH